The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-09-17
THE POPULAR TASTE.
Why 1t Should Re Studied by All Progress
sive Dairymen.


sive Dairymen.
There is one point that needs to he
ground into the understandings of the
makers of dairy goods, and that is.
they must, in order to succeed, study
and consult not their own, but the
tastes of their customers. The COM
mission merchant is the one that stands
next to the consumer in practical
sense, though Of course the retail mer-
chant is directly in contact with him;
but every complaint and commendation
reaches the commission merchant inn
med!atcly after the retailer hears of it.
Let any commission merchant travel
through the dairy districts and talk
with the men and women who make
the goods he sells, and inquire of them
what they. think constitutes the best
quality in the goods they make, such
merchants will be amazed at the crude
ideas those dairymen have on the SUBJ
ject. Each one of them will, of course.
declare that he makes the most per-
feet butter or cheese that can be
produced from cows milk. This is
to be expected, but to be more spc-
cifc with them, and inquire as to
their views on grain, sailing, keeping,
qualitity, color and the dozen other
points that enter into the composition
of fine article, and while all will
differ in opinion, few indeed will be
found to have any thing but series of
crude notions of what their aims should
be. Instead of seeking information
from the fountain head on these points
the rule is common to look in the op-
posite direction, and study the opinions
of their ancestors. The point with
them, as a rule, is to so back and follow
the antiquated methods of bygone years,
instead of looking forward and study
ing the demands of an active and
critical present and future market.
The cheese and butter you make is
not to be consumed and paid for by
those who may be now sleeping in
their quiet graves, but by the living
and breathing people who know what
what they want and are bound to have
it at any cost. The means of reaching
this absolutely necessary information
is through the commission merchant,
OF better still, if you be so fortunately
situated, through your own Immediate
customers. Ask them what they think
of your goods, and ask it in such way
that they can give you a frank and
I,
you receive is hint enough for n
wise man, but that only means very
general answer and is not often very
tlattering. What you do want is in
formation of specific nature, point by
point, and to the point. Is it over.
worked, over-salted, over-watered,
badly packed, badly colored, zoo old.
too soft. or too every thing that it ought
not to be? These inquiries pertain to
butter, but with slight variation they
will equally apply to the character OF
cheese. If only the cheese-maker could
stand by, unknown to either party, and
hear the buyer and seller talk together
about his goods, how his ear would
tingle. True, much of this talk is mere
blut'on both sides, but ut the same time
he would learn just where his goods
failed to meet the requirements of the
market, and thus he would receive n
valuable lesson on the necessity for
cultivating Il knowledge Of the tastes OF
his customers.
There are two methods by which the
dairyman can keep abreast of the times
in securing this valuable information
One is by letter, writing often to the
commission merchant To know just
wherein Ibis goods are short of quality,
and dealing only with the merchant that
is willing to take the trouble to give sat
isfactory answers. The other is To g,
and see for yourself. Once or twice q
year follow your goods to market and
inspect them side to side with Other
goods that outsell them. This is tn.
best possible object lesson and mus
impart to the dullest mind some in
formation that will far mere than pa,
the cost of the trip, american Dairy
man.